High water will present concerns

The heavy snowpack will result in high water levels this spring, adding to the challenges spring rafters and kayakers will face when navigating area rivers.

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By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Cheboygan Daily Tribune - Cheboygan, MI

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Posted Apr. 9, 2013 at 10:18 PM

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Posted Apr. 9, 2013 at 10:18 PM

INDIAN RIVER

The heavy snowpack will result in high water levels this spring, adding to the challenges spring rafters and kayakers will face when navigating area rivers.

Melting snow has led to swollen rivers across northern Michigan. One area river of particular interest is the Sturgeon River, where Big Bear Adventures in Indian River operates its tubing and rafting service.

High water is a problem for rafting. Higher water means faster, more dangerous conditions, not ideal for recreational rafters looking for some spring fun.

“When the water gets 12 inches above normal we don’t run any trips,” said Jamie Jacklitch, outdoor recreation manager for Big Bear Adventures.

For Big Bear Adventures, the rafting season doesn’t officially start until May, but a cold spring has slowed the snowmelt. If May rains combine with winter runoff, high water will be a near certainty on the Sturgeon River.d

In typical years, the number of days when the waters surges to 12 inches or more above normal are severely limited, but it doesn’t take a lot of rain to surge the water levels on one of northern Michigan’s fastest flowing rivers.

When the water level of the Sturgeon River rises, it changes the nature of the river and the inherent danger of the course. The overhanging branches and trees that normally drape a foot or so above rafters’ heads are suddenly at eye-level. Couple this with the force of the rushing water, and the danger level forces the rafting operation to shut down until the water subsides.

“It gets a lot pushier out there when the river gets high,” said Jacklitch. “One thing about the Sturgeon River is it rises very quickly. We could get a lot of rain today and the river would already be high tomorrow.”

With the rivers natural tendency to go from rippling to rushing in slightly more than an instant, it also makes quick work of flushing the water out and returning to its usual state.

“The Sturgeon is so short and fast that it recovers pretty quickly for any major rains,” Jacklitch added. “It gets high, but it comes down pretty quick.”

Though the Sturgeon recovers quickly from heavy rainfalls and runoff, it might be put to the test this spring. A wetter than average spring is in the forecast.

“They’re calling for a high than normal precipitation across the region this spring,” said Tim Locker, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord.